Working in the gold mine is about to get a whole lot cleaner.
The Borden Gold mine, northwest of Sudbury, Ontario, will be the first mine in North America to switch its vehicles and equipment entirely from diesel to electric.
This not only eliminates the greenhouse gas emissions from the vehicles and equipment, but also slashes the amount of ventilation that the mine requires, which in itself accounts for half of the mine's total energy demand. That means even fewer GHGs.
The owner of the mine, Goldcorp, is doing this with the help of partners Sandvik Mining and MacLean Engineering, who are providing everything from battery-operated drilling and blasting equipment to electric bolters, personnel carriers and eventually a 40-metric tonne battery-powered haul truck.
At the end of the day, Goldcorp will get significant cost savings in addition to a 5,000-ton reduction in onsite GHGs. The future of mining just got a little nearer.
How do we help our traditional sectors like mining find efficiencies, adopt low-carbon technologies, and develop marketable clean innovations?
The global clean innovation opportunity applies across all Canadian sectors. Many traditional firms are cutting costs and becoming more competitive all while reducing environmental harm. That generates new products and expertise that can be marketed to help other countries meet their environmental goals too.
Accelerating clean innovation in Canada means helping our traditional sectors pilot clean technologies and then bring new solutions to the world market. Find out how through Smart Prosperity's work on Accelerating Clean Innovation.
Also: Check out the latest on the Borden Gold Mine on Goldcorp's blog.
